A huge wasp nest has suddenly sprang up on the side of my house I don't regularly walk by...
formatting link
I did some poking around on the Web and most people recommend after dressing accordingly by covering as much of your body as possible, wait until very late in the evening when they're all in there and feeling sluggish, spray the nest with a 25' foaming jet spray, then retreat until the next day to scrape it off.
Alternatively, one fellow says if you can wait until October after the first frost the nest will be vacant and then you can remove it with no problem. I have no small kids running around but I do mow directly underneath it and I don't know if that would provoke them or not.
Any other tips on how to deal with these unwelcome houseguests?
Get a can of Raid hornet/wasp spray. Shoots a super soaker size stream and will take 'em out from 10'-15' away. Soaks the nest and none will return. Feel free to take a propane torch to the nest a couple days later, when all the attendent bugs have left.
I find I can spray them anytime with the knockdown type wasp spray. Did a yellow jackets nest this afternoon under my deck and didn't even cover up - tank top and shorts - and I'm somewhat allergic to them.
Your nest looks like paper wasps which I find no where as vicious as yellow jackets.
The long distance insect spray sold by the parts houses to service techs really does work. The electrical, plumbing, HVAC and construction supply houses around here all carry it in one form or another. I've used both foaming and non foaming types and have never been stung because of it. I would spray the nest once, wait a while then hit it again. It may take three or four applications but it works fast and makes the work area relatively safe. I call it "Spray & Run!" :-)
That isn't huge, that's a small one compared to many I've seen.
The two pieces of advice are good. Wasp will nest come early to late evening and that's when you get them with the spray. As long as you get the spray into the entrance, they will not escape and die on contact.
The actual height from the ground will determine if they feel threatened as you mow or pass by. If it's within a few feet, they may attack. About 10 feet or more, they usually leave you alone. Therefore, the call is yours to make. I would kill the bastards now and not wait till fall.
I've used it in the past and it was good. The last 2-can purchase I bought from Walmart was suspiciously cheap. I'm wondering if Raid hasn't gone the cheapo route and is making a lesser product, like Walmarts grn label crap which does nothing to kill the damn things. Ppl in this group have stated that Walmarts grn label is crap and it's the black label I want. Whatever. Is the cheapo Raid product like the Walmart grn label? At this time, I can't say.
Having almost been stung to death by wasps when I was 4 yrs old, I'm a bit freaky on this issue. Been weird weather here in CO, this Summer, so hardly any wasps/hornets and not much chance to try the Raid product out. If Raid is lacking, I'll report back. ;)
I wouldn't call that huge-- but it is a good start.
-snip-
The only thing I'd worry about is if you open that window for ventilation, they could find their way through the screen & end up under your pillow while you sleep-- then they wake you up pretty rudely.
I'd leave them at my house. They eat lots of bugs, especially those little green caterpillars in the garden. They also do a bit of pollinating as they search for food.
If it was in the ground, or anywhere I might bump it, I'd use wasp & hornet spray. [black can- works for me] Otherwise, enjoy watching them and clean the nest off in the fall.
Call the local fire department and tell them they are a "THREAT" to the children, and some of them are allergic to insect bites. Be sure to use the word threat, as if it flew into your head.
They may have a free couple of hours, and you've already paid them with your taxes. A nice pie or some cookies or cupcakes for them when the job's done would be nice, too. In some jurisdictions, this is allowed.
They have all the protective gear, and probably have some spray.
Shouldn't cost you anything.
If they don't do that, read up on it. Most common approach is to do any attack after dark, preferably very very early before first light, as that is when they are sluggish. They also do not see very well in the dark.
One thing important is the removal of the nest. If you put a scraper on the end of a long pole, and can only just knock the nest off, that will go a long way to getting them to move. Then retreat, and the next day, go out and move the fallen nest way away.
Burning is suggested by some. I lived in Louisiana, and would get them under my eaves. I would ball up some rags, and put alcohol on them, and set it afire and lift it quickly under the nest. Trouble is, you don't kill them all, and the ones left are ticked off. There as a last move, I tried to knock the nest off. The biggest nest I tackled was only as big as an apple, as I would get them when they were small. The burning still left smudges, and the old wood frame 30's house was not a good candidate for fire.
I have heard soapy water is good.
Try the FD first, then read up. Just bundle up, as those little suckers hurt, take a while to heal, and some people have bad allergic reactions to them. After that, get or make some wasp traps. You can make them free from Mason jars.
Wait until dark, get a wide paint scraper, put on a jacket and gloves, then open the top of that window and scrape the nest off and let it fall to the ground. Leave it there and stay away from it until the next night, then roll it into a garbage bag and crush it.
Put a rag with some gasoline on it in a tin can and crush it semi-closed. Put that in the plastic bag. Toss in the nest, and seal. Use a clear bag so you can see what's going on.
Some years ago we had a wasp nest under the eaves of the second story of our house. I got a can of wasp spray that shot a 20' stream (can't remember what brand, but other folks on this thread have mentioned it). The wasps were dead or severely injured and abandoned the nest. Later in the Fall I knocked down the nest with a long pole. No HazMat suit required, no big deal.
That looks easy, they are sitting ducks all exposed like that. (When it is hard is when they make the hive under a mushroom vent or behind something). I'd use the raid wasp spray, take aim, shoot, soak the hell out of it until they start flying out then just run into the house. Then come back in an hour for another application. Then come back in an hour with the garden hose and a nozzle that will give a needle pressue stream (the cone type for cleaning driveways) to knock down the whole hive.
Contrary to another poster they DO come back to the same location, but maybe not the same actual nest. They re-use my Weber Grill every year to start nesting, every spring I have to evict them, but there I do it by simply grilling them with the cover closed :)
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.